Circuitry
by Rosylee
Summary: In a world where androids toil effortlessly to provide safety and assistance for their makers; a young, hot-headed android pursues his dream to become human and eat all the ramen his little heart desires; but when war is set to break out between humans and rebel androids, which side will he choose? Rated for swears and violence. Naruto AU, multiple canon/canon pairings. Please R


Oh my god! I know, shocking, i'm still alive! :P Uh...I'm not entirely sure what to say really. This idea has probably been done before, but i've not found any and I've been thinking about this concept for months. It's not as long as I would have liked, but having not written creatively for a long time I guess it's better to start off small and work my way back up to longer writing like I used to.

On a side note, this is my fist ever work in the Naruto fandom, so I hope i'll be welcome to write here for many more years to come :) I've been meaning to write for Naruto, but have never found the time/motivation D: I shall do my best to keep as much canon character behaviour's as possible, let me know if you feel anything goes a little out of kilter!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. Please do leave some form of feedback, It always acts as a motivational boost :)  
*DISCLAIMER* (It appears that disclaimers are now the norm here huh?) I obviously do not own the Naruto concept/franchise in any way possible, I get no money from this blah blah blah. Only thing I 'own' (I use that word rather loosely) is the AU concept for this story.

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The basement was lit with a dim glow as Iruka Umino traipsed past rusted old shelving units; brimming with boxes bejewelled by cobwebs and spare parts.  
"Oscillator, oscillator, oscillator…where are you hiding oscillator?" he chanted, as if the object would come running to greet him. He was supposed to clock off in ten minutes, and he'd be damned if the new boss would load him with overtime just because he hadn't met that day's quota.

Life was most certainly easier for the average person, now that KonohaKorp had the monopoly on assistant android manufacture, but the amount of strain it placed on talented engineers such as Iruka was unimaginable. Though the cyber-nin kept the peace, it was clear that cracks were beginning to show, with opposing forces working underground to try and undermine the current system. How long would it be before – dare he think it? How long…before war?

"OW!_ FUCK!_"

The torch bounced along the floor, its dreary light disappearing with a dull _splith_. Iruka rubbed his foot, about to kick the box he'd just stubbed himself on when he noticed something pale in the gloom –

A hand.

A hand, and a bit of forearm, sticking out of a damp, rotting, wooden box. How odd. Wood hadn't been used at the plant for…oh, at least 400 years. Hunkering down beside the wall, he wormed his right arm through a small gap and grasped the hand.

Smooth.  
Cold.  
Unyielding.

An android hand. A sigh of relief whistled between his teeth as he took a firmer hold on it. At least it wasn't a dead body that someone had thought to hide. Pulling hard was not necessary, the hand - and arm it was attached to – returned with his own through the gap until he cradled it in both of his hands. Its 'skin' was chipped in places, the wiring technology was at least 200 years old, but in much better condition than the box.  
'I wonder…'  
Iruka began dipping his hand into the box; again and again he'd pull back with another piece of body; another bunch of wires; another programming chip. The pieces were strewn about him like a grotesque game of marbles, and yet, it was like Christmas – the most exciting Christmas a child would ever remember. The android's head and torso were much too large for the gap Iruka had been using. Therefore, Iruka set about widening it with whatever he could find. A screwdriver, an old coffee jug and his strong right leg, with much kicking and bashing, resulted in splintering the rotted wood enough to allow Iruka to shimmy into empty space and claim the rest of his new treasure. The head was heavy, filled with complex technology that was now obsolete; its eyes a blank, hollow space, with wires protruding from one socket. Propping himself into a sitting position, Iruka tuned the head about in his hands, marvelling at this hidden android.

On its snowy neck, there was a small serial number, worn with age.

NAяU-_.2

And above that, almost obscured by the hairline, there was a small engraving, but it was too dark to make out an exact shape. Turning it over again, Iruka thumbed the cracks that spanned the droid's cheeks with care.  
"Who would leave you down here, all broken into bits?" he asked the head.

It did not answer, staring back at him with empty eyes. They stared at each other in the dark for what felt like a very long time, but in reality only lasted 30 seconds. Iruka stood up, still clutching the head.  
"Well, I can't just leave you here now, can I?" he chuckled, picking up an arm and a circuit board, "I shall have to give you _a hand_!" he laughed; fumbling for his torch, which had decided that it did not like its new-found freedom. Touching the sensor, it flicked on, allowing Iruka to see properly. A shock of yellow hair, dusty with neglect, seemed to take on the torch's light, illuminating the floor.

Picking up a half-empty cardboard box, Iruka deposited all of the broken android's pieces inside and closed it as best he could without duct tape. Shuffling forward, torch-in-mouth, he began to ascend the stairs out of the basement, the oscillator on the shelf by the door completely forgotten.


End file.
